A BUSINESS leader has urged the new Government to "get to grips" with the level of absence among public sector workers which he said was undermining services.

Sir Digby Jones, director general of the CBI, said new research showed that employees in the public sector took off an average of three days more than those in private firms last year.

Early figures from the business group's annual survey of absence at work revealed that public sector workers took an average of 9.1 days off in 2004 compared with 6.4 in private companies.

The poll of 500 organisations showed that public sector absence cost the economy é4.1 billion last year.

The figure would be cut by é1.2 billion if the absence rate was the same as in private firms, said the CBI.

The findings also revealed that the public sector accounted for 40% of the number of working days lost.

The CBI said its findings, due to be published in full later this week, cast doubt on public sector efficiency targets.

One of the worst Government departments for absence was the Department for Work and Pensions.

Sir Digby said: "These findings will make worrying reading for the newly-elected Government.

"If ministers fail to deal with this problem, poorer frontline services or higher taxes will be the result.

"This growing problem is undermining promised public sector efficiency gains. It is particularly depressing that the Department for Work and Pensions, which should be setting the example within Government, is one of the worst performers.

Global

"For the UK economy to succeed, both the private and the public sector must pull their full weight. The private sector has no option in a world where global competitiveness is all. It is high time the public sector delivered for the taxpayer on the same basis."

Long-term absence, lasting 20 days or more, was responsible for 57 per cent of total public sector absence.

Dudley Lusted, head of Corporate Healthcare Development at AXA, which helped with the research, said: "There are some serious people management issues here. A healthy dose of inspirational leadership would be a start and, by creating a more positive environment, would certainly help to cut short-term absence.

"It's unforgivable that long-term spells account for over half of the public sector's lost working time when we know that early intervention and rehabilitation can have such a positive effect.

"Public sector employers that provide medical care for their people cut their levels of absence by over two days per employee."

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "The CBI wants us to think that public sector workers are too ready to throw a sickie and take a few days off whenever they feel like it.

"But more serious analysis of absence statistics shows the exact opposite. Public sector workers are less likely to take short periods off work ill than their colleagues in the private sector.

"If we look at absences of five days or fewer then the average private sector worker takes 5.5 days off sick, while public sector workers take 4.9 days.

"The average figure for public sector workers is higher only because more public sector workers take long term sick leave, much of which will have been caused by injuries on duty.

"This is not surprising given the dangerous and stressful nature of public sector jobs like police, firefighting and nursing."